By: Ivan Mulinder

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2022 Draft with the following needs: DE, DT, K & WR. They ended up drafting 9 players (4 on Offense, 4 on Defense, and 1 ST). Here’s a list of the players they selected:

• Round 3 Pick 68 CB Martin Emerson from Mississippi State
• Round 3 Pick 78 DE Alex Wright from UAB
• Round 3 Pick 99 WR David Bell from the Purdue Boilermakers
• Round 4 Pick 108 DT Perrion Winfrey from Oklahoma Sooners
• Round 4 Pick 124 K Cade York from LSU
• Round 5 Pick 156 RB Jerome Ford from Cincinnati Bearcats
• Round 6 Pick 202 WR Mike Woods from Oklahoma Sooners
• Round 7 Pick 223 DE Isaiah Thomas from Oklahoma Sooners
• Round 7 Pick 246 C Dawson Deaton from Texas Tech

After the 7 Rounds, the Browns then selected 12 UDFA including:

• WR Isaiah Weston from Northern Iowa
• CB Julius Faulk from Delta State
• TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden from Florida Atlantic
• S D’Anthony Bell from West Florida
• LB Silas Kelly from Coastal Carolina

The NFL experts grading this Draft seem to have gone for a consensus grade of B+ but Andrew Berry was really pleased with his haul. I think, yet again, he drafted very well selecting players with high upside in key positions and trading down 3 times to get more of them. The Browns have a pretty full roster packed with a lot of talent. Most of these players have been picked to come through to the first team in a couple of years or more, as important rotational players, with 3 likely starting straight away. 

The 3 picks Andrew Berry traded down for turned into those 3 likely starters:

• CB Martin Emerson is graded the 3rd best CB in the SEC by PFF. He’s 6.2 201lbs with a 4.53 40-yard dash. Over the last 2 seasons, he’s posted 14 pass breakups and 4.5 tackles for loss. He has all the traits to play zone and man coverage although he’s not as good at stopping the run. This was a surprise pick for the Browns as CB wasn’t considered a need, but during Day 3 Troy Hill was traded back to the Rams for a 5th Round 2023 pick making Emerson a likely rotational starter.

• DT Perrion Winfrey, 6.4 290lbs and in 2021  posted 11 tackles for loss in 12 starts with 5.5 sacks. According to Sharp Football, he was the second-best value pick in the first 4 Rounds being picked 57 places lower than expected. Browns fans watching his video know they’ve got a very passionate guy who is a real brawler. This was an excellent pick and filled a real need for the Browns.

• K Cade York was the best Kicker in the Draft. In the regular season for LSU, he kicked 81.8% of his FG successfully and 97.6% of his extra points. He is famous for kicking a 57-yard FG in fog to beat the Florida Gators. We all saw how crucial McPherson was to the Bengals Super Bowl run last year and the Browns lost 5 games by less than 5 points last season so this was a very important pick and it shows how much Berry values him by getting him at 124.

In the Defensive End Room, Alex Wright is an archetypal Browns DE and probably fell to 78 because he didn’t test at the Combine. He’s 6.5 271lbs and in 2021 registered 7.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks, with 3 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles. PFF graded him the 3rd best DE in College Football so this was another important pick up at a crucial position of need and Wright will be a useful backup next season to Garrett and whoever else the Browns bring in during Free Agency. The Browns added a second DE in Isaiah Thomas who is 6.5 and 266lbs. He’s had 8 sacks a season for the last 2 years, and in 2021 added 11.5 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, 34 QB pressures, and 3 forced fumbles. His RAS score is 9.16 which is super athletic. The Browns have added quality depth to a really important position of need. I’m grading this room upgrade as an A.

WR concerns were covered with 2 selections, the better of which is undoubtedly David Bell who is 6.1 and a slightly heavier 212lbs. He was No.1 in contested catches in College football and had 13.8 yards per catch last season with 1,286 yards. He’s not fast, but he’s an excellent route runner both inside and outside and can create separation laterally, and uses his weight to win contested catches. This could mean that Landry isn’t returning as Bell and the Browns TE will be the short to medium range targets. Hopefully, this means the Browns will be after someone else like Will Fuller now the Draft is over. Michael Woods was selected with the pick the Browns received for the Amari Cooper trade and I suspect was selected because he has many of the traits Berry likes- he’s young at 22, he’s very athletic with a RAS score of 7.64 and he’s 6.1, so we’ll see how he progresses. Isaiah Weston is freakishly athletic with a RAS score of 9.99, a 4.42 40-yard dash, and elite measurements in the vertical and broad jumps.  I really think he’s one to watch, but the Browns still need to add a WR post Draft.

The Browns were not expected to select an RB with Chubb, Hunt, Johnson, and Felton already established on the roster, but Jerome Ford is a good choice. 5.10, 210lbs with a 4.46 40-yard dash. In 2021 he had 19 touchdowns, with 52 missed tackles forced, 32 explosive runs, 3 yards after contact per attempt, and a PFF rushing grade of 89.4! Kareem Hunt is on the last year of his contract and D’ernest Johnson is a free agent which no other team opted to take, so is back with the Browns. Jerome Ford is clearly the replacement for someone, and I speculate that Hunt might be used as a bargaining tool in a potential Baker trade. 

The Browns had a very good 2022 Draft which will go under the radar as they didn’t pick until Round 3. If they add more quality players, if Deshaun Watson gets a lot of game time, barring injuries, they’ve set themselves up for contention in the AFC North and the AFC Championship.

The post Cleveland Browns 2022 Draft Analysis appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

After some downtime, it has been a crazy week in the NFL. We saw Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz traded, Deshaun Watson rumors picked up, and on March 12th, The Browns traded for Dallas Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper. They only gave up a 5th and 6th round pick for the star pass catcher and a 6th round pick. Overall, I believe it was a major steal for the Browns.

Cleveland now has their WR #1 in Cooper as they look to revamp the offense from a weapons standpoint. This may lead to the end of the Jarvis Landry era in Cleveland, but at the end of the day, the NFL is a business. The addition of Cooper takes the offense to another level if he can remain healthy, and one can assume that Andrew Berry isn’t done with his aggressive moves. What does Cooper bring to the table?

For starters, Amari Cooper might be the best route runner in the league. This will bring a lot of structure to the Browns offense from a receiver standpoint. Odell Beckham Jr. did not work out in Cleveland for several reasons, but he was known as a freelancer on his routes, often looking for soft spots in the defense instead of running the route in the playbook. This caused countless miscommunications between him and quarterback Baker Mayfield. Cooper will be the exact opposite of that as he has a reputation for learning a playbook and sticking to it. This will help him get on the same page with Baker Mayfield, assuming he is the QB for Cleveland in 2022.

Cooper is only 27 years old as well, which means if he balls out for the Browns then he may land a long-term deal with them or another team in free agency. The trade is a win-win for both sides, which doesn’t always happen. Everywhere that Cooper has gone, he has produced good numbers, so there is a high probability that he produces well in Cleveland.

From a stats perspective, Amari Cooper has put up respectable numbers his entire career. In total, he has 517 receptions for 7,076 yards and 46 touchdowns, along with 3 Pro Bowl selections. He is going to bring elite playmaking skills to the Browns and help them take the top off of the defense. Last year he had more touchdown catches than the Browns wide receivers combined. That should give you an idea of how badly the team needs a player like him.

There is no telling what moves could happen for the Browns from here on out, but there is no doubt that trading for Amari Cooper is a big step in the right direction. Andrew Berry has been incredibly impressive as the Browns General Manager, relentlessly attacking the team’s weaknesses each off-season. Get your popcorn ready because he isn’t done yet.

The post What does Amari Cooper really bring to the Browns? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

Quarterbacks are a touchy subject for Browns fans. After dozens and dozens of signal-callers since 1999, it seemed like Cleveland had finally found their franchise guy with Baker Mayfield in 2018. Truth be told, it has been an absolute roller coaster since Baker took over at quarterback. With a disappointing 2021 season, it may be time for the Browns, who have a Super Bowl contending roster, to look elsewhere for a quarterback. A lot of tough decisions are looming for General Manager Andrew Berry. So what should the Browns do about Baker Mayfield? There are many pros and cons to this situation and no easy answer.

Pros of Keeping Baker Mayfield

The most memorable thing Mayfield has done as the Browns QB takes them to the playoffs and gets their first playoff win since 1994. To make that even more satisfying for Cleveland fans, it was on the road against the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. Baker tossed three touchdowns in that game and continued his impressive stretch of playing like a top ten quarterback in the NFL. Baker also broke the rookie touchdown record in 2018, but that gets harder to talk about as an accomplishment since Justin Herbert broke it a few short years later. Either way, Baker has shown plenty of flashes of being a really good QB in this league. He makes top-tier throws and has a fire about him that draws players closer. The Browns had trouble winning any games before they drafted Baker. Since he has been drafted, they have won more and been relevant overall. That cannot be ignored, But is it enough? For many fans, it is not. At some point, another step has to be taken and many thought that would have happened this year. One pro of keeping Baker is that he is a cheaper option, with the Browns exercising his 5th-year option, and that he could return the best version of himself in 2022. He tore his labrum on his non-throwing shoulder in week two against the Texans and played extremely banged up all season. Many believe that his accuracy was off due to a harness that had to be worn during games. Andrew Berry may think that after Mayfield has surgery and gets back to 100%, then he will play at a higher level.

The cons of keeping Baker Mayfield

Unfortunately for Browns fans, Baker struggles with quite a bit and there are a decent amount of cons to keeping him. As mentioned earlier, he dealt with a torn labrum all season. That may have affected his accuracy, but there is no way to ignore that he made many awful decisions all season and was not fully seeing the field. This has been an issue for Baker since college. A few of his biggest critiques coming into the 2018 draft were field vision and happy feet in the pocket, which he still has in his fourth season. It is very alarming that he hasn’t progressed past those problems. In addition to those things, Baker (and the team as a whole) had an anti-clutch gene all of 2021. As a starter, Baker was 0-5 in potential game-winning drives in 2021. That is the difference between making the playoffs and missing them. Mayfield was also one of the worst QBs in the fourth quarter last season and overall only has 7 game-winning drives in his entire career. The biggest con to keeping Mayfield in 2022 is if this is who he is as a QB, then the Browns are potentially wasting another year of a great roster. This team is built to win now and they need a QB who elevates the play of those around him, not one who needs everything to be perfect for him to succeed. Baker has yet to be consistent in his career and with a record of 30-30 as a starter, the Browns would be committing to mediocrity at this point if they decided to keep him long term.

Where to go from here

There is no clear path on where to go from here. Andrew Berry has many tough decisions to make in the 2022 offseason, and what to do with Baker is at the top of the list. There are a few other QB options they could try to bring in, but they are limited overall. A trade for Derek Carr seems more likely than a trade for Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers. Jimmy Garoppolo is another name that has been mentioned, but he would not be a substantial upgrade. When you look at the potential options, it only makes the decision more difficult. Baker Mayfield will most likely be the starter in 2022, but it will without a doubt be his last chance to prove himself worthy of being a franchise QB. Part of the fanbase has lost patience with the inconsistencies and they understandably want to win now. We can all agree that the Cleveland Browns have endured enough losing in the last twenty years. 2022 will be the biggest year of Baker Mayfield’s career if he is the guy they chose to roll with. Get your popcorn ready.

The post Is Baker Mayfield really the face of the Browns franchise? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

by Michael Obermuller

The NFL Draft came and went like a hurricane once again, with winners and losers grades flying in from every analyst in America. According to aggregate rankings, some of this year’s draft champions were teams like the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, and Miami Dolphins. Do any of these franchises actually have a shot at the Super Bowl though?

The short answer is yes. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers flipped the script in a single offseason, going from 7-9 to parade yachting through Tampa’s harbor. I know they signed the greatest quarterback the game has ever seen, but we’ve seen the NFL pull championship 180’s more often than any other sports league, and we could definitely see another dark horse Lombardi winner in February of 2022.

Based on both the NFL Draft and NFL Free Agency, here are four teams that could make the jump to SB Champs in what is now less than one calendar year away.

Cleveland Browns

Now I know this one seems like a cop-out, because the Browns were pretty darn good last season, but they’re still not even favorites to win their division according to most oddsmakers right now. On FanDuel Sportsbook, Cleveland has +1700 odds to win the big game, behind the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens at +1400. To me, the Browns might have had the top draft in football, and that’s after having a solid free agency and an 11-5 record in 2020.

General manager Andrew Berry made a splash just before the draft when he signed edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. He had already bolstered the secondary in March, bringing in safety John Johnson III and corner Troy Hill (both formerly of the Los Angeles Rams), not to mention DT Malik Jackson and LB Anthony Walker elsewhere on the defense. This unit held Cleveland back in 2020, with a fluid consistency on the other side of the ball. After the signings they made, and the sleeper potential of draft picks like CB Greg Newsome II and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (who never should have fallen out of the first round), it might be their strength just one year later.

The Brownies have been improving ever since Baker Mayfield took over at quarterback, and now this team is built to win it all. Top offensive line, ferocious pass rush, youthful secondary, blistering run game… oh, and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. set to return from injury. Cleveland somehow faces a third-place schedule with a first-place roster, and I expect them to dominate.

Denver Broncos

A lot of people had the Denver Broncos as dark horses in 2020, but I promise you that I was not one of them. Even before the Courtland Sutton and Von Miller injuries (both healthy again), I thought Denver was a few missing pieces away from contention, but they may have solved a large chunk of that puzzle this offseason. They rank 11th on the aggregate draft boards, but I actually thought they deserved a higher grade. GM George Paton did a ton of things I liked this Spring, and it all started in the secondary with signings Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby. It continued in the draft.

The tweet above doesn’t even include seventh round pick Kary Vincent Jr., who I thought was one of the top value picks of the entire draft. The LSU cornerback’s rank seemed to fall after he opted out in 2020, but he was very productive the season before when the Tigers won the College Football Playoff. The Broncos needed a deep secondary that could keep up with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, and this one can. Factor in Miller and Bradley Chubb finally pairing together off the edge, and this defense could have championship pedigree under Vic Fangio. The offense should be no slouch either, with a plethora of young weapons and the one tricky question being at quarterback (Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater set to compete).

P.S. Denver is currently the front-runner to trade for Aaron Rodgers… and that would only boost their +2400 Super Bowl odds.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys may not have had the best draft grades in their entirety, but I thought they made a couple of very key selections early on, like middle linebacker Micah Parsons. After trading back for a couple of extra picks, the Boys drafted the top LB in the draft. Parsons is not only talented, he’s a leader with the ceiling of a Bobby Wagner type captain. They also filled their cornerback need in the second round (after missing out on Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II), drafting Kelvin Joseph out of Kentucky (a solid prospect with elite speed), and UCLA defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa is another intriguing prospect nabbed in the third.

Jerry Jones and Dallas went defense, defense, and more defense this draft after dishing out $240 million to Dak Prescott this offseason, and I loved the commitment here by Jones and company. This offense was spectacular before Prescott’s injury, averaging 32.6 points per game (PPG) during the five games he started. Dak plus a healthy offensive line should put the Cowboys back near the top of the league in efficiency, but this defense was in desperate need of reinforcements, allowing the fifth most PPG last season. When you consider how many injuries the franchise suffered in 2020, plus the improvements they’ve made this Spring, they are an easy 2021 dark horse in my eyes at +2800 odds.

Chicago Bears

I’m surprising myself with this one as I’ve been one of the biggest Matt Nagy-Ryan Pace haters the past few seasons, and most Bears fans would probably agree with me after the way this franchise has been run. That could all change with one draft decision, however, the trade-up for dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields. Now you are either a Fields believer or you aren’t ”” and I am ”” ranking the Ohio State product as my QB1 in 2021 (yes, that’s including Trevor Lawrence). As expected, NFL GM’s disagreed with us Fields supporters drafting Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance over him. To be fair, I like Wilson and Lawrence and think both could be successful, Lance I’m less sure about it.

Having the game-ready Fields as the Chicago QB1 instead of Andy Dalton makes all the difference in the world when evaluating this roster’s chances, but it wasn’t just the addition of Fields that changed my entire perspective on the Bears. Pace was drafting like his life depended on it (only because it totally did), and I have to admit that he struck gold under pressure. Left tackle Teven Jenkins was a steal in the second (a first round talent that will start after the release of Charles Leno). Then guard prospect Larry Borom and cornerback Thomas Graham Jr. were also some picks with some major potential to be had.

This once-great defense still flaunts playmakers like Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, Robert Quinn and Eddie Jackson. The defensive line should also get back 2020 opt-out Eddie Goldman alongside Akiem Hicks. So long as they get something out of corners Desmond Trufant and Jaylon Johnson, this is a formidable unit again in 2021. On the offensive side, the Bears managed to hold onto Allen Robinson, while adding interesting weapons like Damien Williams, Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin for Fields to get the ball to. There are still problems to solve, but Chicago took a major leap in the Super Bowl odds after draft night in my opinion, yet they still sit at +4800 odds on FanDuel. I may just have to take that bet.

The post Post-NFL Draft Super Bowl Dark Horses in AFC and NFC appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

by Michael Obermuller

Odell Beckham Jr. has become one of the more polarizing players in the NFL, ever since being drafted by the New York Giants in 2014. After receiving a five-year, $95 million contract extension from Big Blue in 2018, OBJ forced his way out of New York with his off-the-field antics. The first franchise to step up in negotiations was the Cleveland Browns, who outbid the competition for the frustrated star wide receiver.

Pretty much since the day he touched down in Cleveland, trade talks have swirled around Odell and the Browns franchise once again. You see, Beckham didn’t choose the Browns, and he has not seemed truly happy in Cleveland since the day he arrived. Now Browns general manager Andrew Berry (who took over after the OBJ trade) has rumored that the franchise is open to dealing the playmaker for the right return.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of trading OBJ, from the perspective of the Browns.

Cases FOR Trading OBJ

• An Offer Cleveland Cannot Refuse
  • Another franchise could simply offer the Browns a similar haul that they once paid the Giants for OBJ, which would allow them to wash their hands of the situation entirely. Cleveland sent NYG Jabrill Peppers, a first (No. 17 overall), and a third in return for Beckham.
  • This seems unlikely based on Beckham’s contract and injury history, especially when you consider that the pandemic has crippled revenue and lowered the cap this season.
• Financial Obligations vs. Contribution
  • Considering how little Beckham has actually played (more on that below), he’s costing Cleveland a fortune in both dollars and cap space.
  • OBJ has a $15.75 million cap hit in 2021, and a $15 million flat cap hit in 2022 and ’23. They made the postseason without the wide-out in 2020, so the argument could easily be made that this money could help this roster more if it were allocated elsewhere.
  • Beckham had over 1,000 yards receiving and four touchdowns for the Browns in 2019, but they missed the playoffs that season. He only totaled 319 yards and four touchdowns in 2020, when the Browns made the playoffs and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in round one. OBJ did not factor in the second half of the year, or any of the postseason games.
• Off-the-Field Noise
  • OBJ has become a locker room distraction in the past with the Giants. It’s not that he’ll break team rules or do anything illegal, but Beckham tends to run his mouth to the media and aggravate teammates.
  • The Giants ended up trading OBJ the offseason after he publicly criticized quarterback Eli Manning in an interview. Baker Mayfield is not exactly an MVP candidate either, so you never know when Beckham might get frustrated and make waves, which could negatively impact team chemistry.
• Injury History
  • Speaking of the aforementioned injuries the star has suffered, Beckham has only played 15 or more games in three out of his first seven seasons in the league. He made 12 appearances twice, seven once, and four in 2017 with only two games started.
  • In terms of wear and tear, most of OBJ’s injuries have been to his lower half. Beckham had his first issue during preseason of 2014, when he suffered a grade three tear in his hamstring. He then pulled his hammy again in OTA’s the following season, has missed minor amounts of time with hip strains, suffered a grade three high-ankle sprain in preseason of 2017, fractured the same ankle later that year, missed games with a quad hematoma bruise in 2018, groin-related sports hernia in 2019 ”” and worst of all, an ACL tear in 2020.
  • Eventually, a body can only take so much and still perform as it once did. If the Browns get the right offer, it might be hard for the new regime not to sell high on this extensive injury history.

Cases AGAINST Trading OBJ

• Trade Stock At Lowest
  • A GM never wants to trade a player at their lowest value, and OBJ could be at his lowest right now (recovering from a torn ACL in the midst of a financial crisis/pandemic).
  • They must at least recoup a first round pick for OBJ, and that’s still a good deal less than what they originally paid for him. If the return is too low, the smarter move might be to bet on Beckham’s recovery.
• Browns Should Bet On Talent
  • Whether or not they get the right offer, many still believe that OBJ’s talent and attributes are too rare and dynamic to trade away. There aren’t too many receivers in the NFL that have Beckham’s mix of size, athleticism and speed, not to mention his hands and route running ability (two acquired skills).
  • Beckham has totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in every season but two (2017 and 2020, due to injury), and 1,300-plus yards three out of the five 1,000 yard campaigns.
  • Odell had a yards after catch (YAC) per reception of 4.4 yards in 2019. For comparison, DeAndre Hopkins had a 4.58 YAC per reception in 2020, and only the top receiving weapons in football like Davante Adams and Travis Kelce topped 5.0 YAC per reception last season.
  • OBJ has had a consistent yards per catch that has hovered around his 14.0 career average every season, with a 15.1 yards per reception career-high in 2015.
• Cleveland is Better with Beckham
  • One of the main reasons the Browns fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason was a lack of receiving weapons (and more specifically, no clear No. 1 wide-out).
  • Rashard Higgins filled the role admirably in 2020 after Beckham’s injury, but this offense is so much more potent with OBJ in the lineup. Think about it; Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant/David Njoku, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins AND Odell Beckham Jr. That arsenal would be a challenge for any opposing defense, and OBJ’s unique skillset throws a wrench into a coordinator’s game prep and strategy.
• Wide Receiver is a Need Area for Cleveland
  • 2020 proved that the Browns are shallow at wide receiver, and they have yet to add to that WR room this offseason. At this point, there aren’t many WRs left in free agency (and none nearly as influential as OBJ).
  • Cleveland could try and replace Beckham through the draft, but it would also be hard to find a talent like him at their current draft position (unless they received a lower first rounder back in return ”” unlikely).
  • This roster is one of the more complete ones in football, but their biggest “need” might actually become wide receiver if they trade Beckham. It wouldn’t be wise to create a hole like that, without the proper solution in place to fix it.

The Verdict

Based on the current landscape of the NFL, this probably isn’t the best time to trade Odell. Unless a surprise bidder emerges, Cleveland would likely get short-changed at his current value. The smarter bet is to ride out OBJ for another year and hope that he has a bounce-back campaign. There should be much more of a market for the wide receiver in 2022, so long as Beckham stays healthy.

The post Pros and Cons For The Browns to Trade OBJ Away appeared first on Pro Football Mania.